Members Communiqué

ITU Celebrates #WorldRadioDay 2019

2019 Theme: Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace

​For over 150 years, ITU has worked to build a more connected and inclusive world, which we celebrate for
World Radio Day 2019 under the theme: “Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace.”

World Radio Day is the day set aside to celebrate the unique power of radio to shape our lives and bring people together across communities and backgrounds from every corner of the globe – for good. Key information transmitted via radio is often critical to saving lives during times of war, disaster or health crises, especially in the world’s most remote and least-developed areas.

For this to be possible, the work of ITU in ensuring that harmonized radio-frequency spectrum and common transmission standards are available for a wide range of radio services such as digital broadcasting and mobile phones is of fundamental importance.

Radiocommunication is also a key element underpinning the information and communication technologies (ICTs) that power our digital economy. Technological and societal trends show that radio continues to be one of the most dynamic, reactive, pervasive and engaging forms of media, offering new ways to interact and participate, made possible through a universal wireless ecosystem connected by ITU.

ITU, with its wide membership of governments, private sector, academia and civil society, brings key players together to turn today’s digital revolution into a development revolution. “The world is undergoing a technological transformation that has the potential to improve people’s lives at a pace and scale not seen before and ITU is at the forefront of that digital revolution,” said Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General.

The wireless world of today is based on the use of radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits. The ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) plays a vital role in the global management of these limited natural resources, which enable the development of the digital economy. A key component of international frequency management is the Radio Regulations, the binding international treaty that determines how the radio-frequency spectrum is shared between different services, including space services.

“Key decisions will be taken at the upcoming
ITU World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-19), to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from 28 October to 22 November 2019, which affect the connectivity of people and things. Such connectivity is one of the main vectors of the digital transformation the world is going through,” said Mario Maniewicz, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau.

On 14 January 2013, the United Nations General Assembly formally endorsed UNESCO's proclamation of World Radio Day. During its 67th Session, the UN General Assembly endorsed the resolution adopted during the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference, proclaiming 13 February, the day United Nations Radio was established in 1946, as World Radio Day.